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WASTEWATER SOLUTIONS FROM ORENCO SYSTEMS® , INC. An Affordable Wastewater Collection and Treatment Solution for Municipalities and Communities PIOPIO, NEW ZEALAND Municipal and Community Market Problem Located in rural New Zealand, the farming community of Piopio was in need of a wastewater treatment system. In this area where run- Project Overview off from dairy farms into streams and rivers can be a cause for concern, failing septic tanks at individual homes and shops were also having an increasingly PIOPIO, NEW ZEALAND negative effect on the local environment. Solution Situated within the geographical boundaries of the Waitomo District, Piopio was identified by the District Council as meeting the requirements for wastewater funding through the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, the District began the process of searching for the most effective solution, ultimately selecting an Orenco® Effluent Sewer and AdvanTex® Treatment System. Scenic Community Threatened by Wastewater Crisis Considering how small it is – a population of under 400 – Piopio is home to a surprising assortment of retail attractions and services, includ- ing a museum, several bed & breakfast establishments, and the award- winning “Fat Pigeon Café,” not to mention an 18-hole golf course located just north of town. Travelers headed south on State Highway 3 often stop in Piopio to refuel before beginning the scenic, 90-minute drive to New Design Parameters • 198 homes and businesses Plymouth. (with a potential build-out of 250) • 1 school However, in 2007, this picturesque community of farmland and rolling • 35,600 gpd (135 m3) average daily flow hills was on the verge of a wastewater crisis. Located in a valley on • 60,000 gpd (227 m3) peak daily flow alluvial soils, the area experiences frequent rainfall compounded by poor Permit Limits • 20 mg/L BOD drainage, thus creating a high water table, especially in the wintertime. 5 • 30 mg/L TSS • 30 mg/L TKN • 10 mg/L NH3-N • 15 mg/L TP • 500 MPN/100 mL FC Effluent Quality* • 6 mg/L BOD5 • 8 mg/L TSS • 6 mg/L TKN • 4 mg/L NH3-N • 7 mg/L TP • 7 cfu/100 mL FC Start-Up Date • April 2012 *Samples collected between 3 April 2012 and 3 October 2013 and analyzed by a third party. Treated effluent from Piopio’s wastewater treatment system is well within permit limits and receives final aeration via a rock outfall before being dispersed into the nearby Mokau River. Photo courtesy of Innoflow Technologies. sidebar continued on back page Orenco Systems® • 800-348-9843 • +1 541-459-4449 • www.orenco.com NCS-38 Rev. 4 © 07/21 Page 1 of 4 WASTEWATER SOLUTIONS FROM ORENCO SYSTEMS® , INC. PIOPIO, NEW ZEALAND These conditions, combined with septic tanks in System, due to their reputation for low operating and excess of thirty years old, meant that nearly all capital costs, as well as robust quality of treatment. soakage fields (drainfields) were failing. Total project costs were USD $2,810,000 + Goods Although residents may not then have realized their and Services Tax (GST). Costs included design and urgent need for a sewer and sewage treatment system, installation of effluent sewer, treatment system, and the township had been identified by the governing rock outfall; supply and installation of 198 septic tanks Waitomo District Council as qualifying for wastewater for households and businesses, plus disposal of old funding through the national Ministry of Health. tanks; and a two-year operating contract. Piopio requested a solution that could handle the According to Christiaan Van Rooyen, Group Manager wastewater needs of all the homes and businesses in over assets for the Waitomo District Council, the township, plus the Piopio College for middle and “The Orenco treatment plant offered by Innoflow high school students. Technologies was selected by the Council as it An Effective Partnership: Orenco provided the overall lowest whole-of-life cost, whilst Systems and Innoflow Technologies meeting the regulatory requirements of the Regional Council and public health needs of the community.” After a thorough bidding process in which various treatment options – such as grinder pumps and Innoflow’s Kevin Higham adds, “Because the efflu- conventional gravity sewer with pump stations – ent would be discharged into a nearby river, we had were also considered, the Council eventually chose to have guaranteed results, and that’s what AdvanTex an Orenco Effluent Sewer and AdvanTex Treatment provides.” Based in Auckland, Innoflow Technologies All 198 homes and businesses in Piopio are connected to the Orenco Effluent Sewer and AdvanTex Treatment System. The system has minimized the bad odors that previously emanated from the creek that runs through town. NCS-38 Orenco Systems® • 800-348-9843 • +1 541-459-4449 • www.orenco.com Rev. 4 © 07/21 Page 2 of 4 WASTEWATER SOLUTIONS FROM ORENCO SYSTEMS® , INC. PIOPIO, NEW ZEALAND Located on the edge of the township, the fifteen AX100 units in Piopio’s wastewater treatment system draw little attention, as they are low-profile and produce minimal noise or odor. These low-maintenance units can also be installed further above ground, if desired. Photo courtesy of Innoflow Technologies. has been a distributor of Orenco products for approxi- AdvanTex Treatment System are well-suited for a mately 16 of its 20+ years in business. During that variety of terrain, as they are buried just 30-36" deep time, Innoflow has completed several hundred com- (76-91 cm) and designed to follow the contour of the mercial wastewater projects, including about 20 efflu- land. ent sewers, such as the one in Piopio. Although residents of Piopio were initially quite “Throughout the entire project, Innoflow has acted anxious about how the installation of new tanks professionally,” comments Van Rooyen, “and we would affect their gardens, driveways, and the overall are very pleased with the level of service we have appearance of their homes, Innoflow took great received as they continue to operate the system care in allaying these fears by engaging directly with according to contract.” homeowners through a lengthy public consultation process that included discussion of specific tank The District Council’s initial two-year contract with placements as well as methods of remediation – such Innoflow provided for the design and installation of as top-soil replacement, hand-seeding, and raking – an Orenco Effluent Sewer, an AdvanTex Treatment that Innoflow would employ following installation. System, and a rock outfall for the final aeration of effluent prior to dispersal into the Mokau River. The In the end, property owners took note of the relative contract also included the purchase and installation simplicity of the process, with the placement of most of 198 interceptor tanks for all local homes and residential septic tanks accomplished in less time than businesses, plus the disposal of old septic tanks. expected. Furthermore, installing the shallowly buried Finally, a subsidiary of Innoflow would provide collection lines that connect each home to the waste- operating services for the duration of the contract. water system was also a fairly quick and easy process, thus minimizing disruption to the daily activities and Concerns Put to Rest traffic flow within the community. Piopio and the surrounding countryside are rather Satisfying Results hilly, which is why the township’s Orenco Effluent Sewer is comprised of approximately 65% STEP As the system at Piopio approaches its two-year (septic tank effluent pump) units and just 35% STEG anniversary, effluent test results continue to be excel- (septic tank effluent gravity) units. Nevertheless, lent, averaging well below allowable limits set by the the small-diameter collection lines that feed into the District Council. Van Rooyen states, “The plant has Orenco Systems® • 800-348-9843 • +1 541-459-4449 • www.orenco.com NCS-38 Rev. 4 © 07/21 Page 3 of 4 WASTEWATER SOLUTIONS FROM ORENCO SYSTEMS® , INC. An Affordable Wastewater Collection and Treatment Solution for Municipalities and Communities PIOPIO, NEW ZEALAND Municipal and Community Market been operating for over 18 months with no issues, and Total Project Cost all test results to date have • USD $2,810,000 + GST been within the limits of our (Goods and Services Tax) Funding Sources Resource Consent.” • New Zealand Ministry of Health grant Allen Scholtz, former • Waitomo District grant Maintenance Costs Operations Manager for the • Innoflow O&M contract: USD $11.63 per Waitomo District Council, connection adds, “I think the end result • Covers operation of Effluent Sewer and demonstrates that we did Treatment System choose the best solution for With an effluent sewer system, shallowly buried collection Collection System/Primary Treatment • Effluent Sewer with STEP/STEG units the project. The big factors lines follow the contour of the land, making them relatively easy to install despite the hilly terrain around Piopio. Secondary Treatment were price and quality of Photo courtesy of Gaynor McCartney. • 15 AX100 units results. The key was that we • 2 blend tanks of 6,000 US gal each 3 did not compromise quality for the sake of affordability.” (23 m ) • 5 recirculation tanks of 6,000 US gal each 3 Local citizens are also satisfied with the way things have turned out re- (23 m ) garding their new wastewater treatment facility. Placed near the southern Tertiary Treatment • Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection edge of town in a residential area just off the main road, the site is well- Dispersal landscaped and, according to Higham of Innoflow “does not look like a • Discharge via rock outfall to river sewage facility.” Monitoring and Control • Orenco TCOMTM remote telemetry control Before the system was built, the creek that runs through town was panel known to give off a distinctly unsavory odor, undoubtedly caused by contaminated groundwater, which found its way from the failing soakage “I think the end result fields of nearby homes and into the stream.